Incidents from Ramana Maharshi’s Life – Mokey’s one pointedness

Mokey’s one pointedness

Suri Nagamma tells another story of how Bhagavan cited the example of monkeys to teach His attendants about concentration:

Sometimes, these great monkey warriors knock the fruit out of the hands of new comers, while on their way to Bhagavan, and at times they would snatch away the fruit kept by their side, which people get Backas Bhagavan’s prasadam from His attendant. Noticing these things, Bhagavan would say, ‘They take their share of the fruit, why be angry with them?

There is the concentrated look, the ‘lakshya drishti’. Somehow they find out where the fruit is kept and in the twinkling of an eye, all of them come and take away their share. Their attention is always on the fruit. That is why, in

Vedantic parlance the monkey’s look is given as an illustration of the concentrated look, ‘lakshya drishti’. The moment the Guru makes a sign with his eye, the disciple should understand; otherwise the disciple cannot achieve his aim.’

Kanakammal, a staunch devotee from the days of Bhagavan and who is still staying near Sri Ramanasramam (she passed away in the year 2010), tells us that the monkeys were able to get away with many pranks because of the special privileges they enjoyed with Bhagavan. Often, when unwary visitors to the Asramam would bring sweets and fruits or other article of food as offerings to Bhagavan, monkeys would pounce on them and rob them of the delicacies. Even as the devotees and the attendants watched helplessly, Bhagavan would smile mischievously, as if to say, ‘You are no match for my monkey friends.’